Row sparked over calls for diversity target on art
A LABOUR suggestion for mandatory diversity quotas at art galleries which receive government funding has been denounced as “woke nonsense”.
The idea could be used to ensure that work by artists from a diverse range of backgrounds is on display at places such as the National Gallery and the Tate galleries.
Labour MP Janet Daby, a former shadow minister, has asked Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden what assessment has been made of the “potential merits” of such a regulation scheme.
But Tories rejected the quota suggestion as “preposterous”. A source close to Mr
Dowden said: “Galleries should display great art, regardless of who produced it.
“This is yet more woke nonsense from a Labour party that’s deeply out of touch with the public on culture.”
Sir John Hayes, a former security minister who chairs the Common Sense group of Conservative MPS, was alarmed by the suggestion and concerned that such rules could be used to regulate other forms of art.
He said: “Mandatory quotas would mean every artistic endeavour and every audience had to be checked to see if they met these targets.
“Rather than being engaged by excellence, by the sublime, they’d be gauged by some statistic, some list, some characteristic that has nothing to do with art or music, with paintings or drama.
“This is just not what our free society and a vibrant culture is about.
“It is a preposterous idea to measure creativity and the enjoyment of the work of artists on the basis of diktats.”
Culture minister Caroline Dinenage stressed that Arts Council England already worked to ensure there is “diversity in audiences, leaders, producers and creators of arts and culture”.
She said: “The Government is clear that it expects the cultural sectors to represent our diverse society in their artistic talent, workforce and audiences.”
ACE states on its website that organisations seeking regular support will be asked to “agree on actions and targets to diversify their governance, leadership, workforce, programming and audiences as part of their funding agreements with us”.
From spring 2023, there will be “sanctions” for organisations that “fail to make sufficient progress”.
Ms Dinenage said resources were also available to help organisations address barriers
‘This is not what our
society is about’
faced by “disabled people and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds”
In 2018, the Government Art Collection started a 10-year programme to assess its representation of “age, disability, gender, race, sexuality, and socio-economic [background]”.
Its website states it is working with the Decolonising the Arts Institute as well “identifying historic prejudices in the way that artworks and subjects have been catalogued”.
A Government analysis found that in 2018 and 2019, 51.1 per cent of white people had visited a museum or gallery, but only 43.7 per cent of Asian people and 33.5 per cent of black people.